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About Ish Travel

From Colombo, across Asia.

Ish Travel is a team of 40 in Colombo. We plan small-group and private tours across six countries: Sri Lanka, the Maldives, India, Thailand, Bali and Japan.

Sri Lanka is home. Everywhere else we work with local guides we have travelled with ourselves, and we only sell a route after one of us has done it.

Meet the team
Read our story
Colombo Sigiriya Kandy Ella Yala Galle
Where it started, 20148 friends, 1 van, 9 days, Colombo to Galle the long way round. Six countries later, we still plan the same way.
Blue train crossing the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella
Nine Arch Bridge, Ella

Our story

It started with one blue train.

In 2014 Ishan took eight friends from London on the Kandy to Ella train. Somewhere past Haputale, one of them said nobody would ever find this on their own.

That trip became Ish Travel. Travellers kept asking where to go next, so we followed them: first to the Maldives, then India and Thailand, then Bali and Japan. In every country the rule is the same. We ride the trains, sleep in the hotels and eat at the places before we send anyone there.

Today we have hosted more than 18,000 travellers from 60 countries. Join a group departure on a fixed date, or ask us to build a private tour around your flights, one country or several. Either way, the same team in Colombo looks after you from the first message to the flight home.

Ishan PereraFounder, Ish Travel
18,000+travellers from 60 countries since 2014
40people on our team in Colombo
6countries, with local guides we know by name
4.9average from 1,240 traveller reviews

Our journey

One island to six countries

From one hired van to a team of 40, one country at a time.

  1. 2014The first trip

    Eight friends, one van and the train ride that started it all.

  2. 2017An office in Colombo

    Our first office on Galle Road and our first ten trip planners.

  3. 2019The Maldives

    A few nights on an atoll, added to the end of Sri Lanka tours.

  4. 2022India and Thailand

    Rajasthan, Kerala and northern Thailand, and our first group departures.

  5. 2024Bali and Japan

    Rice terraces in Ubud, ryokans in Takayama, guides we trained with on the ground.

  6. 2026Book online

    ish.travel opens, with live dates, seats and 50% payment at booking.

What we believe

Four rules we plan by

These shape every itinerary, in every country, and every price we show you.

Local, not exotic

In Sri Lanka we are from here. Everywhere else, our guides are. We tell you which road, which train and which kitchen, and why we picked them.

For exampleThali at a family home in Udaipur, not a hotel buffet.

Unhurried

Two nights in most places, early starts only when the light or the leopards are worth it, and free afternoons on purpose.

For exampleFushimi Inari in Kyoto at 7:00, before the crowds.

Quietly premium

Small boutique hotels, ryokans, tea-estate bungalows and good drivers. Comfort you notice, without the fuss.

For exampleA planter's bungalow in Haputale with 6 rooms, or a 9-room villa in Ubud.

Honest about money

Every price, supplement and cancellation fee is written in plain numbers before you pay anything, in any country.

For exampleSingle room +$240, shown next to the price, not after checkout.

The people

The team you will talk to

Message the team on WhatsApp
Ishan Perera

Favourite placeHaputale at 6am, when the mist sits below the road.

Ishan PereraFounder · Sri Lanka
EnglishSinhalaGerman
Nadeesha Fernando

Favourite placeArashiyama in Kyoto, early on an autumn morning.

Nadeesha FernandoHead of private tours · Japan
EnglishSinhalaJapanese
Nuwan Jayasinghe

Favourite placeA houseboat on the Kerala backwaters at dusk.

Nuwan JayasingheIndia & Thailand specialist
EnglishTamilHindi
Amaya de Silva

Favourite placeA sandbank lunch in Baa Atoll, Maldives.

Amaya de SilvaMaldives & Bali specialist
EnglishSinhala
Tea estates in the hill country
Tea estates, hill country

Responsible travel

Travel that leaves places better

  • 85%of every tour price is spent in the country you visit, with local hotels, guides and drivers.
  • 1%of every booking plants native forest in the Knuckles range, back home in Sri Lanka.
  • 0elephant rides, captive animal shows or single-use plastic bottles, in any of our six countries.
How we travel responsibly
Reviews4.9
★★★★★
1,240 traveller reviewsRead all reviews →
We did Sri Lanka with Ish in 2024 and Japan this spring. Same team, same care. In both countries it felt like being shown around by friends who happen to know everyone.
Claire & Tom W. · United Kingdom · Private tours, Sri Lanka and Japan · April 2026

Keep reading

Why travel with us What every booking includesResponsible travel Where your money goesReviews From travellers who wentFAQ Booking, payments and visas
Plan with us

Go further, with people who know the way.

Join a group departure on a fixed date, or tell us your dates and countries and we will build a private tour around them.

  1. Fill in the 2-minute request form
  2. Get your quote, usually within 24 hours
  3. Accept and pay 50% or in full
  4. Travel with your own local guide

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